quinella

Also qui·nela,

[kee-nel-uh, kwi-]

noun

1. a type of bet, especially on horse races, in which the bettor, in order to win, must select the first- and second-place finishers without specifying their order of finishing.

2. a race in which such bets are made.

quinella

/ kwɪˈnɛlə /

noun

1. a form of betting on a horse race in which the punter bets on selecting the first and second place-winners in any order

Word History and Origins

Origin of quinella¹

An Americanism first recorded in 1940–45; from Spanish quiniela, equivalent to quin(a) (from French quine keno ) + -iela noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of quinella¹

from American Spanish quiniela a game of chance

Example Sentences

I had the quinella: abuse and parents who divorced when I was 12 years old and I was the oldest.

From The Guardian

“Please don’t institute a quinella at Santa Anita. All it does is cannibalize the exacta pool.”

From Los Angeles Times

But one day, he told his brother he wanted to bet a quinella.

From Seattle Times

My financial successes are limited to pay-as-you-go credit cards and the occasional quinella.

From Los Angeles Times

In today’s NFL, that’s like holding a big ticket quinella at the track.

From Washington Times